To the Ends of the Earth
by Harleyroyaltea
Summary: Spencer Reid has a chance encounter with a beautiful girl. Can they both face their pasts and admit their feelings for the other?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one:

Spencer could hear the muffled voices of his teammates through the bathroom door he was hiding behind. JJ was informing Derek that she'd just seen Spencer in the breakroom getting coffee, and advising him to behave himself, to which he replied

"Do I ever behave myself?"

Their latest prank war had been in full swing the past few weeks and while Spencer was searching the fridge for coffee creamer he had an impromptu idea that was sure to have Derek waiving his white flag, or so he hoped. He heard the familiar jingle of JJ's laugh fading down the hall, and the clunk of Derek's size 13s getting closer to him. Spencer had a moment of panic and ran to stand by the sink so he could pretend to wash his hands if Derek popped in here looking for him. He waited a few seconds and sighed with relief as he heard the breakroom door slam shut which meant Derek had turned around. Now was his chance, so he quickly sprayed a gigantic heap of cool whip onto his left hand and quietly crept out of the bathroom door.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Spencer screamed as he charged at Derek and jumped onto his back sending both Derek's massive body and his gangly one toppling to the floor with a loud thud. On the way down he'd managed to smack the left side of D's face with his fist full of whipped cream. Mission Accomplished. Derek threw Spencer's long legs off his back, rolled over and stood up while flinging the sticky fluff from his face.

"You did not just fucking tackle me, Pretty Boy. You are gonna pay so hard."

Spencer was lying on his back, knees in the air laughing so hard he thought his ribs would break.

"I couldn't resist. It was just too perfect." Spencer cackled in between fits of hilarity.

Derek's face flashed with disapproval, but quickly turned into confusion "Oh shit kid, you're bleeding."

Spencer sat up and immediately felt the searing pain of a fresh cut somewhere on his forehead. It hurt so bad it made his eyes water and blood began pouring down his face like rain, soaking into his white button down.

"Ah, how the hell? This hurts like a bitch." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began mopping blood from his brow.

"I think you may have smacked it on that door knob on our way down. That is definitely going to need stitches, bro." Derek gestured to Spencer's face and grimaced.

"You know, the head is the most capillary rich area on the human body, which means it bleeds a lot more superficially than other wounds. I'm sure it's just a small cut." Spencer added and stood quickly. Vertigo hit him like a ton of bricks and he wobbled like a buoy. Derek reached out to steady him, and said

"Now tell me again how it's just a small cut. It's a huge gash, and you probably have a concussion."

Spencer relented, and he propped against the wall trying to breathe through a small bout of nausea while D went to tell Penny they were making a trip to the ER. Spencer heard the patter of moving feet when he spotted Garcia power walking towards him in a hot pink dress and acid green pumps; eyes wide and slack jawed. Her expression made him wonder just how bad this cut was and he thought _Awesome, obviously I'm going to look like Frankenstein._

"Holy Mackerel, D wasn't lying about that cut." Garcia peeped.

"I'll go tell Hotch where you guys are going. Don't worry, I'll leave out the unsavory details to have your asses, and I've got to say, you won this one. D will be cleaning whipped cream out of his ear for a week." She winked at him and strutted down the hall like it was a runway.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two:

Spencer lay with his ankles crossed and his hands resting on his abdomen, fingers intertwined. He was still in the ER listening to the paper on the bed crinkle with every small move he made. It had only taken the Doctor fifteen minutes and 32 seconds to stitch him up, but two hours, four minutes and twenty-six seconds to get around to seeing him. Derek had gone upstairs to see Savannah once the suturing had begun, telling Spencer that she'd just gotten a break between surgeries, but Spencer suspected that he couldn't stomach the sounds of medical thread zipping through his skin and the sight of it pulling taunt. He chuckled to himself thinking about how ashen D had looked when he excused himself. There was a swift knock at the door and a nurse walked in. Spencer couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. She was average height, dressed in emerald green scrubs and her raven hair was pulled into a ponytail, a few straight tendrils falling to frame her round face; what stood out the most were her eyes as clear and blue as crystals. She smiled and introduced herself.

"Mr. Reid? I'm August, and I'm just here to get you all discharged and ready to go home."

Spencer sat up quickly and he had to brace his hands on his knees to keep from passing out.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she touched his arm to steady him. "You really need to take it easy for the next 24 hours, Mr. Reid. A concussion is serious. Trying getting up a little slower next time." Her bright smile fell to a more serious expression and she brushed the hair from the right side of his face obviously looking at the gruesome stitches on his forehead. It sent chills down Spencer's arms when she touched him and his palms grew clammy. _What the fuck? Get a grip, she's just a pretty nurse_.

"It's Dr. Reid. Am I good to go, uhh, August?" he swallowed hard and his mouth went dry when he uttered her name.

"Okay then, _Dr. Reid_." She drawled. "I've just got a few handouts here on how to care for these. No getting them wet for 7 to 10 days, apply the antibiotic ointment at least twice a day, and report any worsening dizziness or nausea and vomiting."

She grimaced at the mess on his face.

"Mind if I clean you up before you go? You look a bit crazy with all of this dried blood on your face."

"Knock yourself out." Spencer said, he'd immediately wished he hadn't told her to call him Dr. Reid. He forgot how pretentious that sounded sometimes.

He watched her as she donned gloves and began gently wiping the blood from his face with saline soaked gauze. She was directly in front of him and he was hyperaware of how close her hipbones were to his thighs as she stood slightly between his parted knees.

"So, the other nurses told me you were a part of the BAU. Is that how you got this cut, working a case?"

"Umm, not quite. I tackled the guy I came in with and banged it on a door. It was a prank. The tackle, not the banging my head on a door." He stammered and a tinge of pink blushed his cheeks.

"Wow, you took that massive guy down? Prank or no prank, well done. He's scary buff." Her blue eyes crinkled and her rosy lips curled into a smile.

"I did have the element of surprise. From now on I'll stick with less physical tomfooleries." He shrugged and curled one side of his lips into a half smile.

"Sounds like a good idea. All done! You no longer look like a killer."

She winked and Spencer could have sworn his heart missed a beat. What was wrong with him? Why was this stranger making him so nervous? He couldn't understand why he was so attracted to her. Of course, she was an attractive girl, but he had dealt with attractive women all the time and never had this much of an issue. _Just get the hell out of here, before you say something else stupid_. She began disposing of her tools and he stood up and headed for the door.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Here are your hand outs. Read them before you leave so I can answer any questions you may have."

He read all five pages in less than 30 seconds and matter-of-factly said "Nope, no questions."

"I know you're ready to go home, but you should really read them."

"I did." he shrugged innocently.

"Okay, so what did page two say about scarring?"

Spencer paused for a moment and then spat out verbatim "Keep the wounds covered with antibiotic ointment at all times. This is very important because the top layer, also known as the epithelium, is able to heal about twice as fast if it is kept moist and is not allowed to dry out or form a scab. This is best accomplished by keeping a layer of greasy ointment over the cuts, scrapes or wounded skin continuously….."

She gave him a questioning look and said "Wow. Okay, so you did read it that fast."

"I can read 20,000 words per minute and I have an eidetic memory, which means I have the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory after only a few instances of exposure, with high precision for some time after exposure, without using mnemonics." He repeated his usual spiel about his gifts, or curses, depending on how you looked at them and waited for the strange look he typically received.

"Well then, I guess that means you won't forget to come back in 10 days to get those puppies removed. Goodbye Dr. Reid, and stay out of trouble." She flashed him another dazzling smile and popped out of the room. Spencer met Derek outside and they headed back to Spencer's apartment.

"Are you sure you didn't knock some of that genius out? I haven't seen you thing scatterbrained in years." Derek chuckled, obviously noticing something off about him.

"No, I'm good. Just, um, tired."

"Whatever you say, man." He knew Derek wasn't buying it. They pulled up at Spencer's building and Derek told him to call him or Penny if he wasn't feeling better soon, but he already knew there was a good chance Penny was going to pop in to check on him later. It was just her motherly nature.

When he was finally at home, he lay on his couch listening to Beethoven records and thinking less about quantum physics and more about the genetic probability of inheriting eyes so piercingly blue.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

August sat at the nurse's station staring at a computer screen with her brow furrowed in concentration. It was 6:30am and she'd been at the hospital for the last 24 hours. Her regular 12 hour shift yesterday morning had been hell on earth, and it had only gotten worse when her coworker called in sick at the last minute leaving her no choice but to fill in. She rolled her shoulders backwards trying to ease some tension. She could almost swear every person in the DC area had shown up to the ER last night either sick or dying. They had six critical patients come in for various reasons; heart attack, car crash, OD, and she'd had to hold a sixteen year old girl as her body wracked with sobs after watching her best friend die. She was just wrapping up her last minute documentation and fantasizing about a hot shower when the unit secretary called her name.

"Hey Gus, can you take a few stitches out really quick before you leave?"

August gave her a pleading look and said "Debbie, please God, get someone else to do it."

"Sorry, honey, everyone else is busy. Brandi is trying to start an IV on a hard stick, and…."

"It's okay, I guess it'll only take a few minutes." August sighed and cut the older woman off. Debbie offered a weak smile.

"Triage room 4. Thanks a ton, Gus."

August gathered her items from the supply room, wondering what kind of idiot came to have their stitches removed at 6 in the morning. She tapped on the door and walked in absent mindedly.

"Hey there, my name is August and I'm gonna…..Oh. It's you!" She was taken aback. Had it been 10 days already?

"Well hello there, August. Nice to see you again." He smiled at her, baring his beautifully straight teeth and she suddenly felt lightheaded. _Not this again_. She'd caught herself remembering how it felt to have her hands in his curly hair and daydreaming about what his blush colored lips would feel like on hers all last week. She really didn't need any more fantasy material, but here he was, stunning her all over again. After he left that day she'd hoped that he didn't feel the heat emitting from her body as she cleaned the blood from his perfectly square jaw. _Just be professional and get this over with._

"You got a haircut, Dr. Reid." She said, admiring how his bangs swept to the side with this much shorter look.

"Indeed. It kept sticking to the antibiotic ointment Dr. Cameron gave me, so I just chopped it off." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, it looks good on you." She grinned and stepped towards him to look at the healing pink line on his forehead, trying to avoid his hazel gaze for her own sanity.

"Oh, uhh, thanks." He said nervously.

"These stitches are going to feel strange coming out, but there shouldn't be any pain." She explained and began to carefully snip the silver thread with her scissors and pull them out gently with tweezers.

"All done." She announced, stepping back and tripping over her tray of equipment sending both her and it tumbling to the floor. She fell flat on her ass and immediately wished there was a nearby hole to crawl into.

Spencer shot up and exclaimed "Oh Jesus, are you hurt? Did you land on something?" his voice was genuinely concerned.

"No, I'm fine. Just an idiot."

"Are you sure you're okay? Because you're crying. I know they say nurses are the worst patients, but if you're hurt I can go get someone."

She hadn't even realized she was crying, but sure enough, there were tears splashing on her gray scrub top. _Fuck my whole life. Busting your ass in front of a hot guy; it's like high school all over again. This is so humiliating._

"I promise, I'm okay, it has just been a really long day, and that was the icing on the metaphorical cake. Thank God it's time to go home." August stood up brushing herself off and wiping tears from her face.

"I just need a cup of coffee, a hot shower, and about ten hours of uninterrupted sleep." She gave him a watery smile and began picking up her mess.

Spencer bent down to help her clean up, opening his mouth to say something and seemingly changing his mind. A few moments of silence passes when he spoke up.

"I can help you with one of those things. We could, uh, grab a cup of coffee in cafeteria and you can tell me about your crappy day? If you want to, that is." Spencer blushed and suddenly seemed unsure of himself. _Is he asking me out? Nahhh, he's just being polite. I mean, you did just have a break down on him in the middle of the ER._

"It's okay. I only live two blocks from here, I'll just grab a cup at my favorite place on the corner, but thank you for being so kind, Dr. Reid."

"You mean The Grind? They have the best French Vanilla lattes in Virginia. I was going to swing by there before work at 10 anyway…" He offered, hoping she'd take the bait.

She hesitated, not wanting to seem too eager, but eager she was.

"Okay then, just let me chart a couple of things and grab my purse. Meet you at the ambulance doc in 10?"

"Sure. Oh, and call me Spencer. I'm sure you get tired of addressing people as Doctor all day." His eyes crinkled into a brief smile that didn't quite reach his lips and he walked out of the door.

August went to the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water, trying to scrub the black streaks off of it, and hoping to appear a little less dead. She grabbed her things and went outside to meet Spencer. She spotted him leaning on the side of the building and he looked so calm and collected in his black slacks and red button up. His hands were crammed into his pockets and he'd thrown a brown leather satchel over his shoulder. Her heart felt like it was beating 200 beats per minute. _Good thing we're at a hospital, because I'm about to need to be defibrillated._ She took a deep breath and walked toward him completely unaware that he was thinking the same thing. 


	4. Chapter 4

**To those of you reading this I very much want you to know how much I appreciate you! This is my first real go at fan-fiction. I've dabbled in it and written a few stories that I've never posted anywhere, so seeing you guys following and reviewing the small portion I've done really encourages me to do more!**

 **I have so many ideas for Spencer and August, so I hope you will stick around. If you feel like the story is moving a bit slow just bear with me through the next couple of chapters because I'm really trying to build some foundation for a relationship between these two.**

 **Xoxo,**

 **Harley.**

Chapter Four:

Spencer was trying not to stare at her as they walked down the sidewalk towards the coffee shop. It was a cool October day and the slight breeze sent fallen leaves swirling at their feet. The sky was streaked with purple and orange as the sun was still rising. Spencer couldn't help but notice how beautifully it lit her face and made the hair that escaped from her ponytail shine with a red hue that matched the swaying maple trees. As they walked he listened intently to her talk about her last 24 hours. He was intrigued by how passionate she sounded about her job. She spoke about her patients like they were friends, and her voice began to crack as she told him about the teenage girl who had lost her life in a car accident; she explained how they had tried to resuscitate her for over an hour – far longer than necessary. He could see the faint creasing of lines between her eyebrows and her baby blues were red and tired. As fatigued as she looked, he was pleasantly surprised she'd said yes to this impromptu coffee date. _Is this a date? Of course not, she just needed someone to talk to, and you offered. Why else would a girl like her go out with me?_ Spencer's rampant thoughts stopped as they reached the coffee shop door which he held for her like a true gentleman. They ordered their coffees and took a seat near the back of the shop. He watched her plop down on the large cushioned chair across from him and begin to stir extra cream and sugar into hers.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't save that girl. I know how worthless that can make you feel." he empathized. "You seem to get very invested in your patients. I take it you enjoy your job, even on bad days?

She pursed her lips at him and teased,

"Are you profiling me, Dr. Reid?"

"Um…maybe just a tad. Sorry." He ducked his head and gave her a sheepish look, hoping he wasn't fucking this up.

"No, it's fine, because you're right. I do love my job. It sounds somewhat cheesy to say it's my calling, but it is very fulfilling. As you can see it gets a bit taxing at times, but totally worth it." He watched her grimace at her first sip of extremely hot coffee. She was either eager to drink it because she was a coffee enthusiast or she wanted to finish so she could get the hell out of here. He hoped it was the former.

"So, what made you choose it?"

"Nursing in general? Well, I've always been in love with people. I like getting to know them, and I like making their lives better. Saving someone doesn't always include keeping them alive, some of my patients just need someone to talk to. Now, the ER? Pfft, I didn't choose it. I actually just started a couple of months ago. I got my PhD at Georgetown and started a research job with the Joint Commission. I ended up hating it, and came back to the basics. I'm currently waiting on a job to open up in the Pediatric ICU at Children's. Now _that_ is my dream."

Spencer smiled and sipped his cappuccino. She was beautiful, intelligent, and she aspired to save the lives of babies. He knew it wouldn't be difficult to get lost in her.

"I'm so sorry I'm babbling. I guess I just find it very easy to talk to you, Spencer."

"It is why we came isn't it? He questioned.

"Well, I guess so, but, I've been running my mouth since we left the hospital. I'd like to know more about you. Do you like the BAU?"

He paused, thinking about how to reply.

"I like being able to use my brain to save people, but I always thought that I would do something extremely important with my life, like cure Schizophrenia. It took me a long time to realize that what I do _is_ important and saving the lives of few is just as good as saving many. So, to answer the question, I love my job, although it gets very hard to see so much suffering."

"I know exactly what you mean." Her expression turned empathetic and spoke again.

"Spencer, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." He shrugged and crossed his leg over his knee.

"Why in the world did you decide to come to have your stitches out at 6:30 in the morning? Because that's so strange." she laughed.

"Well, statically, Emergency Rooms in the DC area have between 3 and 5 noncritical patients in the hours between 5 and 7, with wait times around 30 minutes, and out times around an hour." He cleared his throat and said "Basically, Dr. Cameron told me to come back to the ER to have them taken out, and I figured I could get in and out fairly quickly if I came early."

She giggled and rolled her eyes at him.

"So, you just know that off the top of your head?"

"I know that off the top of my head." Her laugh was throaty and infectious and Spencer found himself laughing along.

"You're very interesting, Spencer. I'd love to stay and continue this conversation on statistics, but I've never needed sleep so badly in my life." He'd noticed her eyes becoming gradually droopier as they talked, but he wasn't ready to see her go, so he didn't mention it. He felt a pang of disappointment, knowing this would be the last few moments he would spend with the most interesting woman he'd encountered since Maeve, except she was here, in the flesh, and she was so gorgeous it hurt. She stood up, yawned and stretched, and he saw a small sliver of her abdomen as her top rode up. Her skin was milky white and looked as soft as crushed velvet. He wanted badly to brush his fingers across it and follow them with his lips. _What the hell, Spencer? Stop being weird._ He banished his thoughts and tried focusing on the situation at hand.

"I'd like to see you again, though." She peeped. Spencer was so stunned that he barely noticed the crimson that stained her face.

"Oh, uh…I was actually planning to go to the Anacostia Park movie night tomorrow night. They're showing the original Night of The Living Dead. We could grab some dinner beforehand. I'd really like it if you could come." He spat out awkwardly fast and shot her a hopeful half smile and she beamed back at him.

"Sounds perfect." She grabbed a pen out of her scrub top and quickly scrawled her number on his hand.

"Text or call me with details later."

She turned around and left, leaving Spencer staring after her feeling genuinely excited for the first time since he could remember.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

August practically skipped the one block it took her to get home. She couldn't believe that he'd asked her out for _tomorrow_. She unlocked the door to her one bedroom apartment, threw her purse and jacket by the door and made a B-line for the shower. Talking with Spencer had made her feel lighter, like the last 24 hours weren't weighing on her so heavily, but she still couldn't seem to get that girl out of her head. She hadn't been the first person August had seen die, but there was something so innocent about her face she knew she would carry this one around with her for a long time. She let the warm water run over her body, easing the tension in her shoulders and allowed herself a much needed cry. She ended the shower when the water began to run cold, towel dried her hair and snuggled into her favorite oversized Cowboys t-shirt. She bumped the volume on her phone to loud and thought about the last couple of hours she'd spent with Spencer. She wondered why she found it so easy to open up to him. She'd found herself babbling on and on about her job and her hopes for the future. She hadn't gotten that involved with anyone in a long time and she could hear her therapist's words as they echoed through her brain " _You'll never had a successful relationship unless you learn to open up."_ August had a way with ruining relationships, both romantic and not because of her deep rooted aversion to talking about her past, but really, who could blame her? She pushed away her unpleasant memories and drifted into a sound sleep.

Spencer grabbed the mug from his desk and went to the breakroom to fill it with coffee. When he entered he was greeted by Garcia, Derek and JJ, who'd been talking about what Henry and Jack were going to be for Halloween this year.

"Morning Spence." JJ said happily.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" he asked while stirring sugar into his coffee.

"I see you lost the stitches, Frankenstein. Too bad, I think they made you look like a badass." Penny giggled, teasing him.

"You're hilarious." He said dryly. "Did you catch the new episode of Dr. Who last night?"

"Nope, our baby girl was at Sam's getting some overdue lovin' last night." Derek piped up, winking at Penelope.

"Hush now! You can't say anything about me! I know where you slept last night."

Derek laughed.

"You know me too well, Babygirl."

"Ugh. You two are so annoying." JJ scoffed.

"Will has been out of town for the past three days, and he won't be back until Tuesday." She pursed her lips and huffed.

"Since it's just you and I not getting any, what do you say we make dinner and watch movies when Henry and the baby pass out, Spence? Maybe crack open a bottle of wine or two."

"Sorry Jayge, I'd love to, but I, uh, have plans for tomorrow night." He gave her a guilty look.

"Holy Moly, Spencer! Why didn't you tell us you had a date?!" Penny squealed.

"Uhhh, because I just got here? And I never said it was a da…"

"UGH! Do I have to smack it out of you, boy genius? What is her name? What does she do? Is she pretty? I bet she's pretty! When can we meet her? Oh, OH! I'll throw a party and you can invite her and…."

Spencer stood there staring at Penelope with his mouth gaping open and brow furrowed. He should have expected this reaction from Penny, but he hadn't really planned on breeching the subject this morning. Had it really been that long since he'd been on a date? Spencer tried to remember the last girl he took out, and it was roughly two years. _Wow, no wonder she's excited._

"Woah, woah. Calm down there, Sassy. Or at least give him time to answer." Derek said, while patting Penny's shoulder.

"Yes, Penny, she is very pretty. Her name is August and I've just asked her out this morning for the first time. Before you go planning parties and naming her the guest of honor, could you at least let us have one date?" Spencer asked.

"Well, I guess so. If you think that is necessary." She huffed and smiled at him like a proud momma. Spencer caught her a JJ exchange this look.

"Where are you taking her, big Pimpin?" Derek laughed at the horrified expression that crossed Spencer's face.

"Umm, well we're going to an outdoor movie and dinner. I haven't picked a place to eat, I'm not sure what she likes."

"Oooh, how romantic, Spence." JJ swooned.

"Yeah, great idea. Dark enough to cop a feel without others noticing. I taught you well, pretty boy." Derek grinned and winked.

Spencer gave him a disapproving look.

"Definitely not in the plans, D. I'm a gentleman, remember? I have a hands off policy on the first date."

He jumped when penny's finger poked him in the side. "She may not want you be hands off, Romeo."

Spencer blushed and dismissed himself, using the excuse of paperwork to jump out of that particular conversation. He flew through his paperwork and confirmed a lecture he and Rossi were giving at the University of Maryland in two weeks, given they weren't on a case. Before he knew it five o'clock had hit and it was time to go home. He gathered his things, stuffing them in his messenger bag and called a goodbye after the team.

"Good luck, Reid!" Aaron called after him and Spencer couldn't help but smile. Word sure traveled fast at the BAU. He drove home hurriedly in his black FBI issued SUV and dialed August's number as soon as he walked in the door. The phone rang and he was suddenly pounded by nerves. He had a passing thought about hanging up and saying fuck the date, but he was greeted with a sleepy "Hello?" before he could chicken out.

"Um, Hi. August? It's Spencer." He was pissed off that his voice sounded as shaky as his hands were.

"Hey Spence. You have perfect timing. I just woke up."

"I hope you rested well. You definitely needed it."

"I did. Too well. I'll probably be awake all night." She chuckled. "So, what is the plan for tomorrow?"

"The movie doesn't start until 8, so I was thinking I'd pick you up at five thirty. We could grab something to eat and still have time to get good seats." He hesitated and said "I was unsure what you like to eat, so I thought of a few options. Indian? Mexican? Pizza? Unless those aren't formal enough. We can go somewhere nice, but the weather is going to be cool and I didn't want you to feel obligated to wear a dress or heels or anything. I know they sink in grass, and we'll be at a park so that's not practical. We could still go somewhere nice though, you don't have to wear a dress. I'm rambling. Sorry." He grimaced to himself and contemplated sticking his head in the gas oven he'd just heated.

"Wow. It sounds like you've thought of everything. Indian food sounds delicious. "You'll learn I'm not hard to please."

Spencer was relieved that she hadn't decided to cancel after that awkward chatter.

Okay, so I'll see you at six. One blanket or two?"

"Excuse me?" she questioned.

"During the movie, we'll need something to sit on. Would you like for me to bring you a blanket, or are you okay with sharing one?"

"Oh. Sharing a blanket sounds good, but you can bring one just in case we get cold." He could hear a smile in her voice and he wondered what she looked like at that moment, all sleepy and mussed.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing you, August." He confessed.

"Me too, Spencer." Her voice was barely above a whisper and he shuddered at the way she drew out his name. He was suddenly startled by the loud DING that came from the oven.

"Was that your door bell? I can let you go…"

"Nope. It was my oven letting me know my pizza is ready. I'm fine to talk if you are."

"Absolutely. I was just reading some Keats in hopes that relaxing would put me back to sleep."

"John Kates is a fantastic poet. Did you know he was born on Halloween in 1795? I think his letters to his betrothed are beautiful." Spencer said as he searched the archives of his brain for less than a second and spoke quietly and emotionally.

"My love has made me selfish. I cannot exist without you – I am forgetful of every thing but seeing you again – my Life seems to stop there – I see no further. You have absorb'd me. I have a sensation at the present moment as though I was dissolving – I should be exquisitely miserable without the hope of soon seeing you. I should be afraid to separate myself far from you. My sweet Fanny, will your heart never change? My love, will it? I have no limit now to my love – You note came in just here – I cannot be happier away from you – 'T is richer than an Argosy of Pearles. Do not threat me even in jest. I have been astonished that Men could die Martyrs for religion – I have shudder'd at it – I shudder no more – I could be martyr'd for my Religion – Love is my religion – I could die for that – I could die for you."

"Wow. There goes that astounding eidetic memory. Keats is pretty fantastic, and so romantic. You know who else I love? Fitzgerald. I know that makes me sound pretty lame, but I've read everything he wrote."

Spencer took a bite of his pizza and settled on the couch. They talked about their favorite books, authors, and poems. He learned that she loved fiction, and had almost majored in English Literature, but was afraid it would take the fun out of her favorite pass time. An hour passed before they muttered reluctant goodbyes. Spencer pulled every F. Scott Fitzgerald book he owned off of his various shelves and read until he passed out on the couch.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

The Saturday morning sun spilled into August's room and woke her. She sat up and stretched, peering at the clock across the room. _Only ten more hours._ She pulled her hair into a messy bun and fumbled her way to the kitchen to start her morning pot of coffee. August popped a bagel in the toaster and let her mind drift to last night's conversation between she and Spencer. They had quite a lot of favorite authors in common and spent over an hour talking about various book plots and Shakespeare sonnets. She'd almost been moved to tears as he quoted Keats. He had slowed his typically fast speech and spoke with so much feeling that she almost believed he was speaking directly to her, rather than repeating something he read. She wasn't the kind of girl who believed in soul mates, princes, or happily ever after, but his voice, God, his voice, had made her want to last night. She ate her bagel smeared with cream cheese and drank her coffee, completely dissatisfied by what was on TV. She looked at the clock and groaned when she saw it was only 9. She was becoming antsy with anticipation for tonight and decided to go for a run to pass the time and calm her nerves. Thirty minutes later her feet were pounding the sidewalk and DNCE's Cake by The Ocean was pumping in her ears. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage and her lungs were starving for the cool air that wafted on her face. Though she wasn't a serious athlete, August had ran track in high school and discovered how therapeutic it could be, so years later when she needed to calm down or clear her head she would hit the road. Before she discovered the miracle of therapy she'd used it to forget. Today, though, forgetting wasn't an option. She thought of Spencer and worry began to flood her. What if this actually turned into a relationship? She would have to make the inevitable choice of telling him her secrets, or wait on him to grow tired of the walls she'd built and watch him walk away. There was also the possibility that if she did tell him he'd still leave her. Relationships were so messy and terrifying; so why was she still excited to see him? _Goddammit, August. STOP. It's one date, you aren't marrying the man._ She had no idea where all of this silliness was coming from, but she knew she needed to get rid of it or tonight was going to be misery. She pushed herself to full speed as if she was running away from something perilous and in her own way she was. The blood in her ears became louder than the music and her lungs burned like they were on fire. She finally reached her body's breaking point and practically skidded to a stop. She rested her hands on her knees and struggled for breaths. Eventually, when her heart rate slowed and she felt the familiar soreness creeping into her legs she resigned herself to walking home. By the time she reached home she was surprised to see it was nearing noon and wondered how far she'd actually gone. She made herself some lunch and busied herself with house work until it was time to get ready. August took a long shower and shaved her legs. She blow-dried her hair, and fiddled with it for a while before exasperatedly deciding to leave it down. Her makeup was applied meticulously, and black liner framed her blue eyes making them even more striking than usual. August dressed and finished by painting her rosy lips a dark shade of crimson. There was a knock at the door and her heart lurched into her throat. _Here goes._

Spencer stood in front of the mirror and adjusted the navy blue tie that matched his slacks. He slipped on his favorite charcoal colored cardigan, grabbed his keys and headed out the door. The drive from his apartment to hers was short and he arrived a little early, but decided to go up anyway. He bounced up the steps to her apartment and smoothed his slacks before knocking on the door. A small tapping came nearer to the door and he heard her fiddle with the deadbolt. His breath caught in his chest when she opened the door and stood before him more beautiful than he could have imagined. Her straight dark hair fell over her shoulders and framed her face like silk curtains. She was dressed in black skinny jeans, an oversized crimson sweater and brown combat boots. He'd only ever seen her in baggy scrubs and he was pleasantly surprised to see she was voluptuous with curves in all the right places. Her eyes shown like sapphires as she was leaned against the door and smiled at him. He could feel himself blush and smile stupidly back at her. He was speechless – a rarity for Spencer Reid.

"Hey Spence, just let me grab my purse and I'm ready."

"Huh?" he asked distractedly.

"I'm just going to grab my purse."

She ran inside to gather her belongings and switch off lights.

"All set!"

"You look absolutely gorgeous, August." He blurted out.

"Thank you. You're quite the lady killer yourself, Doctor." she said unabashedly.

Spencer smirked at her.

"I thought since the restaurant and the park are so close we could walk. Unless you'd rather drive." He offered.

"Walking is good."

They strolled three blocks to the restaurant and made small talk about the beautiful weather and their uneventful days. When they reached the small Indian restaurant they were seated at the back of an open room decorated with sheer cloth in shades of red and orange that hung from the ceiling and intricate wooden carvings adorned the walls.

"Nice choice. This place is awesome." she gushed, in awe of the ambiance.

"It is nice, isn't it? I come here all the time. It's my favorite, so I was glad when you picked it out of the line-up."

The waitress approached and inquired about their drinks. Spencer ordered an Arnold Palmer and August ordered a water and a glass of house Merlot. As she flashed the waitress her ID Spencer scanned over it. She was 26, but her birthday was December 10th. When the waitress left and he gave her a quizzing look.

"Why don't you go by Augustine? It's so lovely."

She gave him a glaring look and feigned offence.

"HEY! My weight was on that driver's license. What ever happened to Chivalry?"

"I'm sorry, I was least worried about your weight and more worried about your age. I'm an FBI agent, I can't be seen in public with you if you were underage." He teased.

"Ha! Well, now you know I'm about to be 27, practically a grandmother. How old are you, Nosey?"

"I turned 32 on the ninth."

"Well, happy belated birthday, old man." She joked and he chuckled.

"Back to the issue at hand. Why don't you go by Augustine?"

"Hmm, I've never really thought about it. Too formal I guess? Everyone called me Gus when I was younger. Now _that_ was tragic." She cringed.

They placed their orders and gabbed all through dinner. They shared their musical interest and he discovered she was fairly eclectic while he was open to anything, but tended to have favorite genres like Classical and Indie. She admitted her preference for Star Wars over Star Trek and he pretended to walk out on her. They had a shared love of old movies, and she agreed to check out a couple of his favorite foreign films. He told her his nerdiest chemistry joke and she threw her head back laughing until she cried. She questioned him about his life outside of the BAU and they chatted about Las Vegas, his mother's mental illness and how he almost got whiplash from hurtling through high school and college so quickly.

"Wow. You went to CalTech….to get _three_ PhDs? You're making my one look bad!"

"Oh please. You went to Georgetown! Nothing can tarnish that shiny doctorate."

"Well, I can't lie. I'm pretty proud of it. Unlike you it took me a while to get." She muttered.

"You're not even 27." He scoffed. "It takes most people much longer than that. So, where did you get your other degrees?"

"I moved to Richmond when I was 18 and went to Richmond University to obtain my Bachelor's and Master's. I moved to the DC area around 3 years ago to start on my PhD. I worked at one of Georgetown's clinics up until I graduated and you know the rest."

"I've lectured a few times in Richmond. Nice school. You mentioned you were from Alabama. Which part?" he noticed her shift in her seat.

"Sipsey. It's pretty small rural."

"Do you ever go back to visit your family?"

"No. I never knew my dad, and my mom doesn't live there anymore. I think we should head over to the movie, don't you?"

"Oh, um, sure. We can pick a good spot."

The profiler in Spencer told him that he had hit a nerve when he asked about her family. He noticed how she'd shifted uncomfortably in her seat and changed the subject as fast as she could. He wondered what had happened between her and her mother to make her so uncomfortable. Whatever it was, he could tell by the look on her face it had broken her heart, and he wished he could mend it because sadness did not compliment those stunning blue eyes.

She told him she was originally from a small Alabama town, but she moved away to Virginia as soon as she turned 18.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They reached the park around 7:30 and people were slowly trickling in. They settled on a spot near the middle of the field. It was dusk and the light breeze was chilling without the sun's warmth. Spencer spread a large, tan woven blanket on the grass and motioned for her to sit down.

"Ladies first."

"I hate to disappoint you, Spencer, but I'm no lady. I hope you're ready for dessert." He watched as she plopped down on the blanket and sat cross legged.

"Uhh, dessert?" he attempted to hide his confused look.

"Sit down and I'll show you." She had a mischievous glint in her eyes and he silently wondered if she was going to try and kiss him.

"Come on Spencer! The movie is going to start soon."

He sat beside her and crossed his long legs, resting his hands on his knees. He watched her dump the contents of her purse onto the blanket in front of them and out spilled a half a dozen kinds of candy.

"I didn't know what you liked so I got a little of everything." She shrugged and gave him a guilty smirk.

"August, you are remarkable. Gummy worms are my favorite." He smiled at her and ripped open the bag, picking up a handful.

The opening credits began to roll and the rumbling of people talking dropped off suddenly. August's fingers brushed over Spencer's arm as she grabbed for the second blanket and he thought her touch would set him on fire. She spread the blanket over her legs and reclined back on her hands. They snacked on various candies while they watched the movie. Spencer glanced over at her and saw she was completely engrossed in the movie as she popped a twizzler into her mouth. He watched her lips as they wrapped around the red licorice and fleetingly wondered if they'd look just as perfect wrapped around his…

Spencer jumped as he felt August's warm breath fan against his skin.

"They sure like each other don't they?" she whispered into this ear. He shifted and inconspicuously adjusted his painful erection.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he asked.

"The couple to our left have been sucking face for for the last 25 minutes and I'm starting to wonder if that's all they are doing under that blanket." She was making his situation much, much worse by being this close to him, but he tried to ignore it. He looked over at the couple and his eyes widened.

"Wow. I may need to break out my badge and gun. I think he's suffocating her." She muffled the sounds of her laughter with her hand and they both tried to go back to concentrating on the movie, but she was distracted by the lovely couple next to them and he was distracted by the lovely woman beside him.

45 minutes and 37 seconds later the movie ended and everyone began to gather their things and disperse. Spencer watched as their neighboring couple stood up to leave. The girl's lipstick was smeared all over her face and the buttons on her top were fastened wrong, which he betted were fine when they got here. The guy's hair was disheveled and he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Is it terribly sad that those 16 year old kids just got more action than I've seen in 6 months?" Spencer asked innocently.

"No, because those 16 year old kids just got more action than I have in a year."

"Wow. That's gotta hurt." Spencer grimaced.

"You have no clue." She said and they laughed.

Spencer folded the blankets as August shoved the candy back in her purse and stood up. He saw her rubbing her arms and offered her the blanket she'd covered up with during the movie.

"Yes, please. It's freezing out here!" she exclaimed.

He draped the blanket over her shoulders and pulled it closed in front to bundle her up. He let his hands linger at the closure. It was only just now that he realized she was a good bit shorter than him. She was eye level with his lips and he could easily lean forward and brush them across her forehead. He was tempted, but dropped his hands and stepped back.

"So, what next? Home or coffee?" The words left his mouth and he suddenly wished he could take them back. He wasn't prepared for her to say home.

"Well, I'm sort of on a sugar rush and I don't think adding coffee to all that candy would be fun, but I don't want to go home just yet. I'm having a good time."

"Alright. How does a walk sound?"

"Perfect."

They sauntered out of the park and began walking quietly to nowhere in particular; happy to be in the others company. Spencer broke the silence.

"It's been so long since I've had a date one of my friends wanted to throw a party in your name." He immediately regretted opening his mouth.

"Oh, man. That makes me sounds even lamer than I am. Forget I said that."

She giggled and it made Spencer wish his eidetic memory would hold on to sounds.

"You know, you're probably the most authentic person I've met in years. Thank you for being so refreshing, Spencer. Tell me more about this friend." Spencer looked into her eyes and felt the urge to pull her close and kiss her until they were both breathless. They walked circles around blocks and she listened as he spoke about his team – his family. The streetlamps elongated their shadows and the cool air pushed their bodies closer. An hour and a half later when they reached her door step Spencer untangled his finger from hers and realized they'd been holding hands. It was such a juvenile gesture, but it spoke volumes that they were so comfortable around each other. It was as though a force was pulling them together.

"August, I would very much like to take you out again; if that's what you want."

"Such a smooth talker, Dr. Reid. I wouldn't dream of telling you no." Her body was so close to his it was making his head fuzzy and his constantly flowing thoughts slow. He stepped closer to her and her blue eyes pierced into his hazel ones like arrows, his body just millimeters from hers. He lifted his hand and feathered her bottom lip with his index finger. Feeling her breath catch in her throat, he tilted her chin up with his thumb. _God, she's so beautiful._ He cupped her face in his hands and pulled his mouth down to hers. Just before their lips touched a loud ring sounded like an alarm from his pocket and shattered their moment. _Fuck you, Aaron._


End file.
